Shikiyamachi: Thank you. And yes, Obito will still attack Konoha. But it'll end in an unexpected way. I honestly think it'll confuse a person here or there, lol.

TammyHybrid21: Oh yeah, it'll hurt a few people. But not Kakashi. But that's spoilers. Lol. Thanks for your review.

This is probably the second longest thing I've ever written in a long time. As I've said in the first AN, this was originally going to be a one-shot with 15-50k words. This reached 10k, and then I got bored with making a one-shot and voila, story!

This is what happens when you're bored -_-

Recommended song(s): Chasing Ghosts by Barely Alive feat. Spock & Directive, and My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light 'Em Up) by…do I really need to put the artist here?…it's so obvious…by Fall Out Boy.

Word count: 3.9k~

Enjoy my verdant chapter :p

Chapter 2: The Masked Child

"I run into the most interesting people, sensei," Kakashi said casually as he bit into an apple through his mask, sitting on the chair to the left of his twenty-four year old sensei.

Namikaze Minato, who was enjoying a bowl of leftover ramen, nodded absently. "Very nice."

"Met a masked kid, about my age," he started.

"Very cool. Keep telling."

"Has aphensphosmphobia, wears cuffs with rather lethal seals…the chains were connected to his gunbai. Poor thing seemed like he was being abused."

This caught Minato's attention. He swallowed the remaining food in his mouth, putting his chop sticks down. He wore his serious, no-bullshit face. He blinked. "Lethal seals?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yeah. I managed to scan them with my Sharingan. He was willing, but he was scared. He was very quiet, too. I had a hard time hearing him. If it wasn't for my enhanced senses as a shinobi, I probably would've had to be right next to him in order to hear him."

Sympathy crossed Minato's face, pity showing in his eyes. He stood, pulling a piece of paper from the counter, a fine brush and some ink. He put it down in front of Kakashi. "Draw all the seals you saw. It's a worldwide law. Nobody can use seals for abuse of any sort," the Yondaime stated sternly.

The fifteen year old Hatake nodded, pulling his headband up to reveal Obito's Sharingan, and he started drawing. The blonde haired Namikaze watched intently, eyes watching the brush fly against the paper smoothly and perfectly. Once he was finished, he couldn't stop his eyes from widening. "There you go," Kakashi said.

"These…" Minato murmured in shock, "…were all created by both Jiraiya and me, for the Second and Third Shinobi War…but they were deemed too dangerous whence used because of their lethality rate…"

"So someone stole knowledge," Kakashi said. He sighed. "Or leaked it."

"Who did it makes no difference," the Yondaime said. "This isn't good…if these seals are on the loose, and has potential of common knowledge, than a Fourth World War will start just to test them out."

This made both males silent. The only sounds was the outside winds and the calming buzz of oblivious civilians.

Minato broke it. He glanced at Kakashi. "Where is he right now? Do you know?"

"Well…he left. He has some sort of teleportation jutsu, and two other really weird companions," Kakashi explained. "I didn't get his name…but one of them called him 'Uchiha-chan'."

"A rogue Uchiha?"

"You know, I asked the same thing. But then he gave me a riddle, and said if I got the right answer, he'd teach me how to control the Mangekyō," the Hatake stated.

Minato's eyes flew wide. "He knows about that?"

"Actually, he didn't. I was too caught up in my shock and I blurted," he assured sheepishly. "But…I memorized his scent, signature and looks. I'd know him when I see and sense him, promise. For now, just breathe—focus on Naruto and Kushina. Tomorrow's the tenth of October. It's gonna be a harsh day."

Minato slowly nodded, standing and putting his bowl of ramen in the sink. He glanced at the Hatake. "Alright…I'm trusting you. Good night."

"'Night."

Obito winced again, sliding down against a stone wall, and wrapping his palm up in gauze to prevent the wound from bleeding any more. He sighed tiredly. "Kuro seems to know something…did either of you spill?"

Both of his other oddball companions shook their heads. Guruguru scooted closer, his mask undoing itself and wrapping around Obito. The Uchiha sighed again, not even bothering to do anything about it. It was just Guruguru's weird way of comforting him, or something along the lines of that.

"My clones are still in the works," Zetsu pointed out. "They can't say anything…not yet. The only way Kuro-baka could ever obtain information would be to follow us and eavesdrop."

"I bet he eavesdropped," Guruguru said. "It sounds like something he would do. The bastard is full of cruel mirth."

Obito couldn't stop the shiver. He lowered his chin onto Guruguru's knee shell, sighing for a third time. "My life is just one big fat Hell Land, isn't it? First I 'die', then Rin dies, then Madara torture's me with fūinjutsu like I'm his whore and now this bullshit. Not to mention, I have to kill my fucking sensei and steal the Kyūbi while also keeping it at bay for god knows how long and destroying half of my home and more then half of my home population. Fan-fucking-tastic, ain't it?!"

Zetsu blinked. "Well, on the bright side, you are taking a step towards rejoining your friends."

"Oh, well will ya look at that!" Guruguru exclaimed. "He's pep talking! How unique! See that, Obito-chan? You've changed him!"

"Hn," Obito grunted. "So, what information did you guys manage to get?"

"The birthing process is going to be held outside of the village, way out by the Konoha lake that is formed from the Naka River," Zetsu reported. "Mid wives are Sarutobi Biwako, Haruno Saki and Kuchiki Yo. Namikaze-chan is the seal compressor, and guards are Ki, Ryū, Go, Jiraiya, Baka Kakashi and Mizu. Defenses are harsh, but you can get through them. Worst case scenario is you use Naruto as an escape route."

"Naruto?" Obito asked.

"The kids name."

"Ah, okay." He slowly nodded, sighing. "What are you two gonna do?"

"Simple," Zetsu replied. "We're gonna be your guards, if you go along with your original plan of being caught. We'll be the ones who keep you distanced from certain people like Danzō."

The Uchiha simply nodded again, closing his eye. "I'm exhausted."

That was all that needed to be said to quiet the world around him. He drifted off into an uneasy sleep, twitching from nightmares until Guruguru saw it fit to wake the boy up.

"Wake up, Obito-chan," he said calmly. "It's time to get going."

Said boy's eye opened. Guruguru unwrapped himself, revealing the cloak of Obito. The Uchiha stood in his spot for a few seconds, sighing tiredly. He stiffly stood, glancing tiredly at Guruguru and Zetsu, who were both standing and waiting for him. "You're both ready, I presume," he said quietly.

"Yup! I was just waiting on you," Zetsu replied cheerfully. But his demeanor turned serious a moment later. "Are you gonna kill Namikaze-chan?"

Obito paused. He knew his answer, and he stayed with it from the beginning when the plan was suggested. But he lied, and he was nervous. He did not want Shiro to know right away, and Kuro could be anywhere because of his damnable ability to blend in with nature.

He absolutely hated it; it made him paranoid and uneasy no matter what he did to assure himself that the thing wasn't anywhere nearby. He just really hoped that "accidentally falling into the hands of Minato" did something—anything. Even if it didn't work, he hoped it did something.

So he just settled with a smirked, his quiet voice cracking with exhaustion. "You'll see…"

Then, he teleported to the outside world alone.

Kakashi shivered, goosebumps rising. He felt very uneasy and cold all of a sudden, albeit it was warm inside the Hokage Tower since the heat was on. He looked through the window to the outside. It was the tenth of October, the day Naruto would be born. It was a rather cold day, and clouds were gathered overhead. Already, snow was spilling. An early winter. A bitter smile spread across his lips, for some reason remembering the masked man from yesterday.

The uneasiness returned, though. It was worse this time. He warily glanced at the living room, where he heard Minato, Jiraiya and Kushina at chatting about whatever. They sounded carefree, but they were ninja; they couldn't ignore an uneasy feeling like the one Kakashi felt.

He frowned, standing up from his seat in the kitchen dining room and quickly exiting the mansion, jumping up onto the roofs of the homes of citizens towards the Hokage Monument.

He made it within minutes, though he was breathless by the time he reached Minato's mug. His eye widened when he saw who he was looking for. He controlled his breathing, and slowly made his way towards the masked man. "I thought you left for good."

Obito flinched, uncrossing his arms and making the chains known once again. He turned around, glancing at Kakashi. "I never really left," he murmured.

The Hatake simply nodded. "Minato-sensei knows about you and those seals; he wants to help you."

His gloved hand stroked the seal carvings again. "I bet he wouldn't say that if he knew the consequences."

"He and Jiraiya-sama made those seals," Kakashi pointed out.

"…So they know how to break it without causing damage?" Obito questioned.

The jōnin blinked. "I'm not sure, but—"

The flare of Minato's chakra made Obito flinch back a few feet. He pulled a kunai out of his sleeve, holding it up in his usual fighting stance. But the chains were showing and it made him uneasy. Thus, his red eye blazed with fear and defense as the Yondaime appeared next to Kakashi. The blonde frowned at the Hatake.

"You suddenly ran off. Is something up, Kakashi?" he questioned, oblivious to Obito for a few seconds before he turned his head to where his student's gaze remained. The Kage blinked, before his face hardened. "Who's he?"

Kakashi glanced at his sensei. "This is the masked man I told you about. Remember?"

Minato blinked again before his face expressed an odd look akin to sympathy and pity. He eyed the chains connected to the gunbai and Obito's wrist. "So you're the one Kakashi ran into yesterday." He smiled, "You don't need to worry. You can put the kunai away. None of us mean any harm."

Obito still hesitated. Kuro Zetsu could be anywhere at the time, and he didn't want the risk of being hurt. But then again… he thought, I'm a necessary asset to the plan…Kuro Zetsu wouldn't kill me without Madara's consent… Slowly, he got out of his stance, slipping the kunai back into his sleeve. But he kept his senses sharp, and his guard up. He didn't want Kuro Zetsu to bother him, even though he knew that the former was watching him.

Minato smiled. "Glad to know you trust me us at least to that consent." He gestured to the chains. "May I?"

Obito's eye narrowed. "No," he muttered. He subconsciously started rubbing the cuffs again out of habit, shaking his head. "Not yet…"

The blonde Yondaime's expression went from sympathy to a frown. "Why not?"

He blinked. "Because…" he stated quietly, "you'll be busy. I'll…you'll get to it eventually, just not right now…"

Minato narrowed his eyes before the widened in realization, Kakashi also staring in surprise when he, too, got what Obito meant. "…You know. How the hell do you know?"

A small smile appeared on his lips, invisible to the rest of the world. He didn't give out a response, though. He just stood there, the only disturbance to his frame being the wind.

"You won't interfere, right?" Kakashi asked almost hopefully.

Obito was about to answer truthfully, but he knew who was watching. And even if he replied truthfully, he would attack either way because of Kuro Zetsu. His eye narrowed. "…I make no promises whatsoever," he replied, making them freeze. "But if it were to happen…in the end, you'll appreciate it."

Minato would've thrown a kunai if it wasn't for the fact that the masked man was already gone in the blink of an eye.

Later that day—night time…

"You will be successful, whether you like it or not. If you fail, punishment will be all three seals activated at once. Do I make myself clear?"

Obito slowly nodded, his Kamui activated. "Yes…"

"Good," Kuro Zetsu said. "Hurry."

In a swirl, the Uchiha retreated from his dimension, landing behind an ANBU who was guarding from the rooftop. He wrapped on of his arms around the ANBU's neck, choking him to "death". He softly set the "dead" body down, using the same trick on the other outdoor ANBU guards.

When he finished "killing" them, he used Kamui to teleport straight into the room. He landed in the shadows, hearing wails of a newborn child. Everybody suddenly tensed, looking around the room; Kakashi didn't hesitate. He pulled up his headband to reveal his Sharingan, his eye almost instantly landing on Obito.

He yanked out a kunai, swiftly throwing it at Obito's head—but it hit the wall instead, making it known as grit fell. His eyes narrowed. "We know you're there. Come out."

Obito smirked, stepping out and staring the seven other ninja down with his Kamui. A pink haired middle aged woman and a young-looking brunette were quick to pull out kunai's, standing in front of Sarutobi Biwako—who held little Naruto. He eyed the newborn, deciding against it to use him.

He had just came for Minato and Kushina. Nothing more, nothing less. He had no desire to drag anyone in…he didn't even want to drag Minato and the Kyūbi in at all, and they were the reason of this attack.

"You're the kid Minato told us about," Jiraiya observed. His dark eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you after? Naruto? Kushina? The Kyūbi?"

His eye narrowed. "Hn. I'm just following orders," he said as Kuro Zetsu, Shiro Zetsu and Guruguru got teleported out of his eye. The instant they landed, they sunk into the ground. Barely even three seconds later, Guruguru's hand came out of the ground by Biwako's ankle, a kunai cutting into her Achilles foot. She cried out, falling to a knee. Guruguru then jumped out of the ground, grabbing baby Naruto and quickly hiding behind the Uchiha.

Minato's eyes widened. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Obito eyed Guruguru. What are you doing…?

"Rasengan!"

Obito glanced at Minato, quickly using Kamui to teleport him into the dimension. Everybody's eyes widened, Kakashi speaking up, "What the hell did you do?!"

"Nothing," he shot back. "You two," he gestured to Kakashi and Jiraiya, "are next."

Before any of the two could react, they, too, were sucked into the dimension, followed closely by Guruguru and Obito himself.

All three shinobi landed roughly, rolling and falling onto either their backs or stomachs. Guruguru and Obito landed like professionals, though. Little Naruto remained silent, breathing evenly and taking in Guruguru as if he was a parent of some sort.

Obito flicked his wrist, and quickly, Guruguru jumped away with the blonde newborn. Then the Uchiha turned his attention back towards the other three intruders. His eye narrowed. "Welcome to my own personal little dimension. I hope you like it here."

Minato was the first to make it to his feet, followed by Jiraiya and Kakashi. The blonde glared, Hiraishin kunai in hand. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I don't know," he responded truthfully. "As I said before, I am just following orders. There really isn't much I can answer…"

"If that's the case then tell me where Naruto is, or else I will have this kunai stuck in your gut faster than you can blink," the Yondaime both threatened and demanded, lifting said kunai.

"You need not worry," Obito assured genuinely. "Naruto will not play any factor in this. I just don't trust him being around Kuro…" He made sure to whisper the last part; questions would rise, and he didn't want to suffer the threat Kuro Zetsu had pointed at him earlier. Naruto truly did play a factor, though. He was the thing that kept Zetsu from doing anything; the latter needed the child Namikaze because of reasons unknown to Obito, albeit vague and slightly ideal.

"I asked where he is, not as to whether or not he's in danger," Minato hissed vehemently. His glare intensified, becoming darker and much more scarier. Obito would've flinched if he hadn't compared it to Kuro or Madara's own glares.

"Hn," was the final word spoken before the dimension was filled with fighting.

The first move was made by Minato. He used chakra to push off the ground, sharply cutting back and forth to try and throw Obito off. But his Sharingan detected the future movements—he dodged the upper cut that was aimed for his chin, sidestepping and leaning on his right leg. His left leg lifted, aiming a knee to Minato's chest.

The blonde jumped back far enough to dodge it, not hesitating to move forward to stab his Hiraishin kunai into the Uchiha's gut. But his wrist was grabbed by the masked man. Time seemed to slow down when he saw the cuff on the masked culprit's wrist, albeit it was brief in real time. But he saw details. Just for a split second.

Minato couldn't observe any further. Obito kicked him in the jaw while also twisting his wrist to the point of a mild sprain that was on the verge of a breaking bone. He back flipped away, though it was clumsy. He landed next to Jiraiya, a frown furrowing his brow. "Sensei," he murmured.

"What?"

"The Kyōka Fūin is a swirl with a solid circle in the middle, right?" he asked.

"…Yes," Jiraiya replied thoughtfully. "Why ask?"

"He has it," Minato stated. "A Kyōka Fūin. It enhances Hageshī Shinzō Saiha Fūin, Shinrisensō Fūin and Chakura Fūin: Kyūkyokuteki no Datsuryoku."

The Sannin stared in surprise. He looked at the masked boy. It truly was a surprise to find someone who had the seals for a long time, and lived to see the next day. They were lethal, and thus, became kinjutsu for a reason. He cringed, sympathy spreading across his face.

"In any case," Kakashi butted in quietly, "we need to get out of here."

"You can't," Obito interrupted. "Not without my consent. I'm your only way in, and your only way out. Period."

"Rasengan!"

His eye widened; he hadn't noticed the clone. How did I not notice? He grabbed the handle of his uchiwa gunbai, blocking the Rasengan behind him. Then he caught the Hiraishin kunai that was aimed straight for his chest. He quickly dropped it, jumping backwards as Kakashi charged him with Chidori.

He continued dodging his former teammate, swiveling back and forth. He finally made a move; he swung his gunbai, causing a blast of wind to throw the Hatake backwards. But he was quickly caught by Jiraiya.

Obito barely had enough time to react as Minato appeared next to the Hiraishin kunai, only a few inches away from Obito's mask. The latter blinked, using Kamui to teleport to the outside world. He quickly teleported back into his dimension, landing behind Minato. The Uchiha kicked his former sensei in the calf, pulling out the kunai he always kept hidden in his right sleeve.

He made sure to aim for the back of his neck, but was promptly interrupted as Kakashi's Chidori cut off his hand. Instead of the scream or shout and crimson blood they expected to hear and see, they received a glare and white goop.

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock. "What the…"

Obito scoffed, his one-eyed gaze landing on the Hatake. "Troublesome." He quickly twisted towards Kakashi, kneeing the latter in the chest and making him cough. The victim of the kick jumped back, nursing the growing bruise and wheezing for air.

The Uchiha backed away, practically glaring at the white oozing stump of what was once his hand. There goes a perfectly fine arm.

"What the hell are you?" Kakashi rasped in shock.

"It's an artificial arm," Obito replied simply. He raised his left arm, crafting his fingers into half of the horse hand seal. Chakra charged in his chest, and he spat out a wall of fire. "Katon: Gōka Mekkakyu!" The heat spread across the entire rectangle of stone, reaching the trio of shinobi. He didn't see what happened, but he smelled steam.

Water barrier, then, he silently concluded. His sensei did have the Water Release, he hadn't forgotten that much. But the jutsu was more of a distraction than anything; he did it in hopes that one of them would form a plan to break open his mask. It was the key to his plan, and he didn't have enough time to form a way to manipulate them into making said plan.

His most eligible plan was temptation. It was worth a shot, but it had risks he didn't want.

Kuro Zetsu was still watching, he could feel it.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!"

The flood of water pushed through the dying flames, rushing water roaring in his direction. He teleported out of the way, teleporting himself back into the dimension and landing next to Guruguru, who was a quarter of a mile away from the battle. The Uchiha glanced at the two, his eye on Naruto longer than it was for Guruguru. "How is he doing?"

"Fine," Guruguru replied. "But he's getting whiny. Should I do something?"

"He…might be hungry," Obito murmured. "I don't know. I'm nowhere near fit to be a parent, let alone a baby professional."

Guruguru laughed lightly, his voice holding mirth. "Wanna hold him?"

"No," Obito objected. "Now is a terrible time. I'm in the middle of a battle, you know."

"I'm messing around. What, can't take a joke?"

The Uchiha didn't stop the glare, but it quickly dissipated. "Whatever. I just need a new hand. Are there any Zetsu clones in this dimension yet?"

"Sorry, but no," Guruguru replied. "Not yet, anyways. I can't provide anything, I'm holding this cute little bundle of joy."

Obito scoffed. "Don't get attached. We're giving him back."

"What, can't take any love, either?"

"I hate you. With a passion. It burns with hatred as I speak," the masked teen shot back dryly.

"I love you too, Uchiha-chan."

The Uchiha stared before speaking up again in his quiet voice. "Question…why did you take him?"

"Kuro Zetsu's plan was to make you kill Minato and Naruto to provoke Kushina into releasing the Kyūbi," Guruguru explained with a surprisingly serious tone. "And then you were to use the Kyūbi after extracting it from Kushina to destroy Konoha."

"…So you're helping."

"Of course I am! It's not like I'm just gonna sit on my artificial ass and do absolutely nothing!"

Obito simply snorted, cutting the growing bicker off as he teleported back to the battle field. He came back to an exhausted Kakashi leaning on Minato, Jiraiya at the defense. The Sannin narrowed his eyes, getting into a taijutsu stance with his kunai in hand. "Where is Naruto?"

The masked Uchiha blinked. "Out of danger," he replied. He, too, got into a taijutsu stance, "You should appreciate the favor. Kuro wants the brat dead."

The words surprised the three, each of them mentally piecing the puzzle together. Minato narrowed his eyes. So he's protecting Naruto to some consent, he thought. Who is he…? The blonde man stared at the cuffed mysterious Uchiha. "Who are you?"

Obito smirked. I've caught you in my web. "Nobody. Just a ghost of the past," he riddled out. "A vital one, if you must."

Jiraiya scoffed, and quickly dashed forward. Obito met him halfway, and the two quickly got into a fight of traditional kata, each landing blows and each blocking with grace.

Minato frowned. The masked man's kata was foreign—old and ancient. Nobody knew the moves he was performing. He blinked. An ancient style of kata…Uchiha…vital…ghost of the past… His eyes narrowed. Is he Uchiha Madara…?

The chains being wrapped around Jiraiya's wrist and twisting the Sannin onto his back quickly changed Minato's mind.

Uchiha Madara wouldn't become so pathetic and weakened. He frowned openly. Then who is he? Is he a student of Madara? A descendant? What and who is he? He paused in his thoughts, his eyes widening when his thoughts trailed to someone Uchiha he knew and remembered quite well. Is he…Obito…? A vital ghost of the past…?

"Kyōka Fūin": "Enhancement Seal"

"Hageshī Shinzō Saiha Fūin": "Violent Nerve Breaker"

"Shinrisensō Fūin": "Psychological Warfare Seal"

"Chakura Fūin: Kyūkyokuteki no Datsuryoku": "Chakra Seal: The Ultimate Drainage of Strength"; "Chakra Seal: The Ultimate Exhuastion"

"Katon: Gōka Mekkakyu": "Fire Release: Majestic Flame Destroyer"

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu": "Water Release: Great Water Technique"; "Water Release: Art of the Great Waterfall"

"Rasengan": "Spiraling Sphere"

"Chidori": "One Thousand Birds"

'Kay. I'm done. There's a poll on my profile. So if you're bored, go do that. Or something.

Preview:

He stumbled back a few steps, groaning in pain as he put his hand over the gaping hole…

Peace! :3